FSU to Host Open House for Adult Students on Aug. 1

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

A college diploma can open up new career opportunities for working adults. Economic projections indicate that by 2018 more than 49 percent of jobs in the state will require education or training beyond high school, but only 26 percent of West Virginians have completed an associate or bachelor’s degree.

Fairmont State University is hosting an Open House for Adult Students on Aug. 1 for those considering finishing a degree started earlier in life or beginning a new degree.

The event, planned for 5 to 7 p.m. in the newly renovated Turley Student Services Center, is free and open to the public. Visitors are invited to stop in at any time during the two-hour open house. Children are welcome. Refreshments will be served. Parking will be available on the top deck of the parking garage. To view a map of campus, click here.

Representatives from Enrollment Services including Financial Aid and Academic Advising, the Regents Bachelor of Arts Degree Program and the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration will be on hand to meet and talk with potential students and their families.

The Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA) Degree Program is a flexible, nontraditional academic program designed for adults in the belief that they are distinctly different in their educational needs and pursuits. The program can be tailored to fit those who need a degree for career advancement, those who have an associate degree in a field for which there is no corresponding baccalaureate degree available or those who seek intellectual development and personal fulfillment. The degree has particular appeal for those who completed some college work in past years but did not obtain a degree.

“The Regents Bachelor of Arts is a flexible program that provides adult learners the opportunity to turn life experience into course credit, if that experience is generally equivalent to a college course,” said Pamela Stephens, Coordinator of Academic Advising and the RBA Program. “For increased flexibility, RBA students also have the opportunity to enroll in online, condensed, upper-division courses offered through WV Rocks.”

FSU’s School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration has a long and distinguished history of educating health care professionals.

“Health care is a field that is a good fit for adult students who are looking to start a new career or advance in their current career through a new degree program. Our programs feature web-enhanced curriculum, online courses and face-to-face classes taught in the evening one day per week,” said Dr. Sharon Boni, Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration. “Our admissions requirements are changing to allow more of a rolling admission, which will reduce the wait for students who would like to be admitted to our nursing programs.”

Programs offered include a non-traditional LPN-ASN; traditional Associate Degree in Nursing; traditional RN to BSN designed for nurses who want the BSN but need general studies or support courses in addition to required nursing courses; accelerated BSN for students who already have most of the support courses completed; an online program for School Nurse Certification; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Allied Health Administration, which is a two plus two program for those who have an associate degree in a health-related field.

FSU classes for the fall 2013 semester begin Aug. 19, and Aug. 9 is the last day for new and readmitted students to be admitted for the fall term. For more information about the RBA Program, click here or call (304) 367-4709. For more information about the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration, click here or call (304) 367-4133.

Other resources for adult learners can be found at the state’s free college and career-planning web site at www.cfwv.com.